From A&EShipping to ZzzzzzShipping
by Midori12
Summary: An A to Z Shipping story! Each chapter includes a different Shipping beginning with a certain letter in the alphabet. Vote between 8-11 different Shippings beginning with the same letter in a poll. - K chapter - KitchenMaid: Brock x Autumn
1. AgencyShipping: Black x White

**I got this weird idea reading some other fanfiction and I figured it'd be neat to do. So here's the gist of it: every chapter will be a one-shot for a Shipping beginning with the next letter of the alphabet. So, of course, the letter A is first, then next chapter will be B and so on. The way I choose these Shippings is mostly dependent on **_**you**_**. Yes, you. To start this story off, I put a poll on my profile page for people to vote for the A chapter, and I will continue to do that for every letter. I pick about ten (mostly) popular Shippings from the mighty Shipping list and then you choose what you wanna see out of those ten or so! Cool, huh?**

**Well, for the first chapter, AgencyShipping (Black x White) was our winner. So thanks for everyone's votes and here's the A chapter! Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>AgencyShipping: Black x White<strong>

I miss her.

She had to take on a huge job at the BW Agency and left me behind. Or rather, I left _her _behind. I decided to continue on my journey toward the Pokémon League while she stayed behind in Nimbasa City.

It's been over a month since I've heard from her.

I just obtained my eighth badge yesterday. I now have all of the badges to participate in the Pokémon League. This was my dream! I have been waiting for this day since I was four years old!

But…I actually wasn't really that excited. Sure, I was happy to receive my final badge in the Isshu region. But I wasn't jumping for joy.

I wanted to tell her. To tell White.

Maybe she would have been happy. Or proud of me. I'm not sure. I just wanted to tell _somebody_.

No, if I wanted to tell just anybody, I would just find Cheren or Bianca and tell them about it. Or just do what I always do and shout it to the world.

But I wanted to share the news with White specifically.

I wasn't sure why. I figured maybe she would be tired of hearing it from me or something. I mean, I said it about every waking minute. Unless Musha was clearing my mind, but that was different.

Route 10 was just up the road. It was the last route to take before heading into the Victory Road and to the Pokémon League. I was so close.

But that wasn't where I was heading.

* * *

><p>"Phew! Finally, the movie is over!" White sighed as she wiped some sweat off her forehead. "I need a drink!"<p>

"Here, Ms. White," an actor held out a bottle of water for White.

"Thank you!" She opened it and took a long drink of the cool liquid. "Wow, has it really been a month?"

"It has," said the actor. "All of the Pokémon did great. I'm sure this movie will be a hit!"

"Yeah…" White said, her tone not matching the smile on her face.

"Ms. White? What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing!" she perked up and waved her hands dismissively. "I just…need some time alone."

"Oh, okay," the actor said while White walked backstage of the set toward her dressing room. She closed the door and slumped over the couch.

"A month, huh…?" she breathed, barely able to hear her own words. "I wonder how…he's doing…"

_Knock, knock._

"Huh?" White jumped, not expecting anyone to bother her so quickly. "W-who is it?"

"Someone's here to see you, Ms. White," a female voice said from the other side.

_Can't I just take a break…? _White huffed as she opened the door a little too forcefully. "What?" Her eyes widened when she saw who was standing behind the woman.

* * *

><p>She looked pretty shocked to see me. Considering she also looked really tired, what with those bags under her eyes.<p>

"B-Black!" she exclaimed, not moving from her spot at the door. "W-what are you-?"

"Hey, Boss," I waved my hand and smiled. I was really happy to see her.

"W-wow," she finally stepped outside of her dressing room. The woman that I had followed to get here had already walked off. "Did you already defeat the Pokémon League and circle the region back to Nimbasa City that fast? I mean, a month is a long time, but that was…_really _fast…"

"N-no! That's a little too fast, even for me!" I said. "No, I haven't defeated the League yet. Actually, I just got my eighth badge a few days ago."

White made a face. "Huh? The eighth Gym is in Opelucid City! Why did you come all the way back to Nimbasa?"

"Because I…I kinda missed you."

White paused. I couldn't read her expression. She didn't say anything, so I continued.

"When I got my eighth badge, I was a little excited. But I felt like I was missing something. I wanted to share my excitement with…well, _you._ You weren't with me and you haven't been for about a month, so…I came back her to see if you were done with your movie or whatever you were doing."

White stared at me for what felt like forever before I saw some red darken her cheeks. She finally spoke up. "R-really? You came back here…for me?"

"Y-yeah…" my face felt hot. I wasn't too sure what I was telling her, but it felt _real. _I was just telling her what was going through my mind, which for once _wasn't _the Pokémon League.

Why was that?

"O-oh…" she stuttered. "W-well, I'm done with my project…and to tell you the truth, I've missed traveling with you."

"You have?" So it wasn't just me?

"Yeah…" she nodded, a cute smile flashing across her face. "Now that you're here…can I travel with you again?"

"O-of course! That's what I came here for!" I grinned and she giggled.

It had been a really long time that I haven't had to use Musha to clear my thoughts of anything but the Pokémon League. Sure, the League was still embedded into my brain, but now there was something else there as well.

My feelings for White. And for once, that trumped all of my thoughts of the Pokémon League.

* * *

><p><strong>I actually like this chapter. Made up right in the spot. I hope it wasn't too short. Some may be longer than others.<strong>

**I'm an AgencyShipper and huge ChessShipper. Of all of the A choices, my favorite is AbsurdistShipping. But this is for you guys to vote on. I wanna give my readers what they want to see! So voting is important! If you're an anonymous reader and you can't vote in the poll, just leave a review and I'll count your votes as well.**

**So, tell me what you think! And vote! Thanks a lot! :D**

**~Midori**


	2. BurningLeafShipping: Red x Leaf

**Okay, so this was tough considering I had a tie between BurningLeaf and Balance. I tried to wait for more votes, but it had been days since anyone voted, so I flipped a coin…and BurningLeafShipping is our winner! BurningLeaf **_**did **_**have more votes in the poll, but I counted review votes as well.**

**It's funny that BurningLeaf won, considering I added it last minute.**

* * *

><p><strong>BurningLeafShipping: Red x Leaf<strong>

"Oh my Mew… It's so _hot _up here… I guess the names Kindle Road and Mt. Ember suit this place…"

Leaf wiped the sweat off her brow and sighed. She had made her way to Knot Island a few days ago after receiving the Tri-Pass from Bill. While staying at a hotel in One Island town, she heard a rumor about a Legendary Bird Pokémon that rested atop Mt. Ember.

After hearing this, she got excited. She had already captured Zapdos at the Power Plant and Articuno at Seafoam Islands, so she was sure that this wasn't just a rumor. The last Legendary Bird, Moltres, had to be at Mt. Ember!

She had made her way through Kindle Road, easily defeating every trainer that challenged her and catching a few new Pokémon along the way.

But here was the challenge…she'd never had to climb such a huge mountain before. Mt. Moon hadn't been much of a struggle and she hadn't made her way to Victory Road yet. And she was now learning that climbing mountains was not her strong suit…

And then once Leaf entered the mountain, she realized it was ridiculously hot. That was when she decided that there must have been something internal behind all of the rock walls and was heating up the place. Mt. Ember was a volcano.

"Phew! I need to rest…" Leaf sat down and pulled out a Fresh Water from her bag. Instead of drinking it, she decided to dump the whole bottle of water on her head and let it slowly drip down her sweaty and sticky body. "Ah! That feels so good!" she exclaimed. "Now I need something to drink." She reached in her bag again and grabbed a Lemonade. She popped the top and took a long swig. "Refreshing!"

Leaf looked around and noticed that she was sitting on the outside of the volcano. She had entered the mountain, climbed a few ledges, then saw an exit back outside. She had to be a few stories up; she had a great view of Kindle Road from here and could see One Island Town in the distance.

"Wow…" Leaf smiled. "What an awesome view!" She then adjusted her hat and sighed. "I wonder what Red is up to…"

Red was a childhood friend of Leaf, who had started his journey the same time as her. They had bumped into each other a few times and spent the day together in Celadon City after Leaf told Red they should take a break and have some fun before challenging Erika.

That was the last time Leaf had seen Red. That was a few weeks ago.

"Hmm, y'know, now that I'm thinking about it, how does Red challenge Gym Leaders?" Leaf randomly asked herself. "He's not much of a talker. What does he do, approach them, point at them and pull out a Poké Ball? Is that an indication for battle?"

Leaf suddenly laughed at the thought. She was right; Red wasn't much of a talker. He always showed how he was feeling through his actions.

Somehow, that attracted Leaf to Red.

She had had a crush on him for awhile, but she never confessed to him. She promised herself that at some point on her journey she would tell him.

…Whenever that would be, she wasn't sure.

"…I'm sure he's doing fine," Leaf said. "I miss him, though."

After sitting in silence for a few more minutes, she decided to continue on. "I want to reach the top of Mt. Ember by tonight. I don't want to be too tired when I'm fighting Moltres."

She finished off her Lemonade and began making her way through the mountain again.

"Almost…there…"

Leaf panted as she scaled a narrow ledge to reach the summit of Mt. Ember. The higher she went, the hotter it got. All the Fresh Water that she had poured on herself had evaporated and was replaced with sweat.

She was suddenly debating what had been worse: trekking through the freezing Seafoam Islands or melting while struggling to climb Mt. Ember.

Cruising through the Power Plant had been much better weather-wise, considering it had been an abandoned building. But the risk of being electrocuted by anything she touched was pretty high and those Voltorb she thought were items kept exploding on contact.

Leaf frowned. Sheesh, the Pokémon was quite dangerous for an eleven-year-old. She wouldn't tell her mom that, though.

"…I hope Red is fairing batter than I am…" Leaf said. "Well, I already captured two of the Legendary Birds and I'm on my way to get the third. Maybe I should save him one, haha…"

Leaf reached for solid ground and lifted herself up. "Phew…" she fell to her knees and tried to catch her breath. "Finally…"

She lifted her head and saw a bright flash of light in front of her, followed by a loud screech.

Moltres's cry.

"Moltres," Leaf examined the orange Legendary Bird, its wings and tail sprouting beautiful flames. It was perched atop a huge rock. Moltres let out another loud cry.

"Okay," Leaf stood up and grabbed a Poké Ball on her belt, containing one of her Pokémon. "Moltres! Let's have a battle!"

"Screee—!" The Moltres spread its wide wings and leapt off of the rock, flying right at Leaf.

"Whoa!" Leaf held her arms up to protect her face as Moltres soared right over her. The force of the Flame Pokémon wings against the wind knocked Leaf off balance. She was standing so close to the edge of the mountain…

"Oh no!" she yelped as she fell backward, right over the edge. "Aaahhhh!" she screamed, trying to reach for her Flying-type Pokémon, but she was approaching the ground faster than she could grab another Poké Ball.

_I'm gonna hit the ground! _she teared up. _This is it!_

She closed her eyes and she pictured a familiar boy. _…Red!_

Suddenly, she fell on something soft and the wind around her was flowing in the opposite direction. Leaf slowly opened one eye and gasped when she saw that same familiar boy she had pictured.

"Red!" she breathed. She had landed on Red's Pidgeot, which he was riding as well.

"…" Red said nothing as usual and nodded. He looked forward at the Moltres still soaring through the air. Red tapped behind Pidgeot's ear and the Bird Pokémon turned away from the mountain. It flew towards the base of the volcano and spread out in wings to bank slowly and carefully on the ground. Leaf glanced up and saw Moltres retreat back to the summit.

"Oh my… That could have been bad…" Leaf hopped off of Pidgeot's back and glanced at Red. "Thank you so much, Red."

Red returned Pidgeot to its Poké Ball and fixed his hat. He stared at Leaf for a minute. She knew he probably wasn't going to say anything, so she spoke again.

"That didn't work well. At all," Leaf frowned. "And I spent all day climbing this stupid volcano just to get knocked back down. Damn…"

Red nodded.

"But I'm glad you were here to save me. I couldn't grab my Farfetch'd's Poké Ball in time," Leaf smiled.

Red stepped toward Leaf, then suddenly threw his arms around her. Leaf blushed.

"R-Red?"

"…Leaf…" She jumped at the sound of Red's voice. It wasn't something she heard very often.

"U-um…" Leaf hugged him back, not too sure what was going on. "Are you okay?"

"…I would miss you…"

If Red _was_ going to speak, he would use the least amount of words possible. Time for some interpretation. "You wold miss me…if something happened to me?"

Red released his hold on Leaf and nodded.

"Really?" Leaf felt stupid for saying that. "I mean…"

"…Leaf…" he made a heart shape with his hands.

"…L-love?" Leaf sounded shocked. "Wha-?"

Red nodded.

Leaf felt her heart jump. This was an odd way to confess someone's love for someone else and the timing was sudden, but Leaf didn't mind. She giggled and made a heart shape with her hands, too. Red smiled.

"Well, now that _that's _unexpectedly out of the way…" Leaf turned back toward the volcano. "You can have Moltres. I think two birds are enough for me."

Red adjusted his hat and held out his right hand, pointing at Mt. Ember with the other.

"You want me to go with you?" Leaf pointed to herself.

Red nodded.

"Don't you ever get tired of nodding?"

Red shook his head.

"Red, you're funny," Leaf chuckled. "I will go with you…but not right now. I need a break. Why don't we go to the Ember Spa? I could use a dip in the hot springs!"

Red shrugged his shoulders and nodded again. Leaf grabbed Red's hand and they made their way back to Kindle Road together. They heard Moltres's cry echo in the distance.

The fire burns brightly for Leaf's love for Red.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not sure if the last line here is a little awkward. This whole chapter is a reflection on "<em>BurningLeaf<em>"Shipping. Y'know?**

**~Midori**

**P.S. Oh my Arceus! Red **_**spoke! **_**:O**


	3. ContestShipping: Drew x May

**Guess it was a given that Contest would win.**

* * *

><p><strong>ContestShipping: Drew x May<strong>

Her mom read her a fairytale once about a prince who delivered roses to a princess every day until she fell in love with him.

"That's silly," the girl had said. "Why would the princess fall in love with someone just for bringing her _roses_?"

"Because they meant a lot to her," her mom answered.

"…The _roses_?"

"Well, that and the thought."

"Was the prince handsome?"

"Details about the prince weren't specified."

"He was probably ugly then," the girl stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"But the prince's love for the girl was what was important."

"…Mom, that's still just really silly. I don't understand this fairytale."

Her mom just smiled. "Maybe you will one day."

* * *

><p>May blinked at the rose being held in front of her face.<p>

"It's for—"

"Yeah, yeah, it's for Beautifly, right?" May snatched the rose from Drew's hand. "Sure."

"Why do you get so upset when I give your Beautifly a rose?" the green-haired kid asked.

"Cause I don't understand why you keep lying to me," May huffed.

Drew blankly stared at her. "What?"

"Just admit it: you _like _me, don't you?" she said bluntly.

Drew's mouth was agape. "W-wha-?"

"Arceus, Drew, it was so obvious," May tapped her foot. "What is with you guys and acting like you don't like us girls? You're just like Ruby!"

"…Ruby?"

"My mom told me a fairytale one time about a prince who gave a rose to a princess _constantly _until she fell in love with him. I don't know, but to me, that sounds to me like a creep. Or a stalker."

"…I'm not a stalk—"

"And here I am, having to deal with my own creeper myself. Sheesh, Drew, get a life."

"…May, I'm so confused…"

"Whatever, Drew," May shook her head before storming off.

The whole time, Ash, Brock, and Max had witnessed the whole scene in silence.

"Um…" Brock opened his mouth to say something, but wasn't too sure _what _to say. Ash didn't even understand what was going on to respond, and Max was just shaking his head in disbelief.

"My sister always did hate that story…" Max said.

"What story?" Drew asked in confusion, still trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

"Some fairytale about a prince who gave roses to a princess he fell in love with until the princess returned his affections," Max explained. "May, for some reason, has always disliked that story and apparently, you giving these roses to her Beautifly reminds her of it too much. I guess."

Drew, Brock, and Ash all stared at Max, no one knowing how to respond to that. May was throwing a fit over the fact that Drew giving her Pokémon flowers reminded her too much of a story she hated? …Was that _it_?

"I'm so confused," Ash said. "Can we eat soon? I'm hungry."

Brock facepalmed.

"Well, I think we should go find May first," Drew said. "Or, I guess I will. You guys can stay here."

"Is that a good idea to go by yourself?" Max asked. "Have you seen May's rage? She may as well be a Fire-type Pokémon herself, the way she looks like she could breathe fire."

"It's fine," Drew reassured them. "I'm going to find out what's up and…apologize, I guess. For what, I'm not too sure, but I'll think of _something _to say."

"Good luck," Max said as Drew ran off towards where May had stormed off.

"…What's going on, now?" Ash asked, looking toward Brock in confusion. Both Brock and Max facepalmed.

* * *

><p>"May?" Drew called out, looking around through the trees. He had seen her rush toward the forest, but now that he was in here, he had no idea where to go. "May?" He tried again.<p>

"Go away!"

Well, that helped him.

"May?"

"I said go away!"

Drew spotted May sitting under possibly the biggest tree in the forest. She was hugging her knees and when she noticed Drew, she was glaring at him intently.

"May, I'm not too sure what's up with you, but—"

"Do you not comprehend proper English? I said GO AWAY!" she shouted immensely.

Drew blinked. "Well, considering we're actually supposed to be speaking Japanese…which is confusing, because didn't Japanese originate from Japan? Where is that at? I mean—"

"Are you stupid or something?" May randomly spat.

"…I was just trying to lighten the mood. Why do you sound so angry with me? I don't think you've ever acted so hostile toward me before."

May turned her head as Drew sat down next to her.

"The roses are stupid."

"Why?"

"For _Beautifly_? Really? What kind of excuse is that?"

"Sorry. I guess I won't ever bother to give your Pokémon roses again."

They sat in silence for a minute.

"Do they really bother you _that _much?" Drew asked, meaning the roses.

"Do you like me, Drew?" May randomly asked.

Drew raised his eyebrows. "Sure, I like you."

"What?" May gasped. "Are you admitting that you like me?"

"As a friend, sure."

May pouted and rested her chin back on her knees.

"Do you like me?" Drew questioned.

"That's absurd."

"Okay then." Drew wasn't too sure where he was getting with all of this. May seemed to be really upset about _something_, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

But he could take a guess.

He suddenly leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. May's face turned a dark red.

"W-what?" she swatted her hand at him. Drew dodged just in time. "What the hell are you doing?"

"See, you _do _like me," Drew flipped his hair and smiled. "You were just too embarrassed to admit it."

"What the hell ever!" May suddenly jumped up. "That was just an excuse to kiss me, you jerk!"

"But I'm not the one who likes the other, am I?"

May's face was a mixture of pure anger and embarrassment. "You and your stupid roses for my Pokémon! And your stupid obnoxious grin and that stupid hair flip of yours! Why do you have to be so _likeable_?"

Drew smiled. "Next time, I'll give you two roses. One for Beautifly and one for you. Will that make you feel any better?"

"No!" May yelled very loudly, causing for Taillow to fly off of their branches from the tree above them. "…Maybe!"

"You really hated that fairytale, didn't you?"

"It was stupid! And you just had to make it all worse! Giving me your stupid roses to make me fall for you!"

"No, that was just how you perceived that."

"Shut up!"

"…Hey, May."

"Don't talk to me! I'm mad at you!"

"…Wanna go out sometime?"

"…Sure. But I'm still mad at you!"

* * *

><p>"Are they going to return soon? I'm starving."<p>

"It's not always about you, Ash…"

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I really don't know where I was going with this story. I'm not a huge fan of ContestShipping, so I took the whole "omg, those roses were <strong>_**totally **_**meant for May" and turned it into something else.**

**Well, that's how **_**that **_**worked out.**

**~Midori**


	4. DualRivalShipping: Cheren x Bianca

**Well, DualRivalShipping is our winner. I was actually hoping DesktopcoreShipping would win because I actually had a hilarious idea for a chapter. Oh well, maybe I'll write a one-shot for it later.**

**This chapter will take place in Gameverse, since I already did a PokéSpe chapter involving the other two main characters of the Isshu region.**

* * *

><p><strong>DualRivalShipping: Cheren x Bianca<strong>

Cheren was face down on the ground, blood pooling from his forehead. The Team Plasma grunt kept slamming his head into the pavement with her foot. Bianca flinched every time she heard the sound of his skull smashing against the ground.

"S-stop it!" she cried. Her whole body was trembling as another Team Plasma grunt held her arms behind her back, forcing her to watch her best friend take this violence. "You're hurting him!"

"Of course we are!" the female grunt abusing Cheren scoffed. "That's the point. This little brat didn't want to listen to us and this is what he gets!"

"You guys are horrible!" Bianca yelled. "You guys talk about liberating Pokémon and such and here you're using violence to try to prove your point? You guys are sick!"

"We care about Pokémon, not humans," the male grunt holding Bianca in place said. "You guys are the reason Pokémon are sad. We'll use any means necessary to set them free."

"Even if we have to…" the female grunt stopped torturing Cheren in order to pull out a knife from her pocket, "_kill _you." She licked the knife with a wicked smile on her face.

"N-no…" Bianca's tears were keeping her choked up, preventing her from yelling anymore. Was this woman serious? She was going to kill Cheren!

Bianca let her mind flash through memories of her and Cheren together. She had hoped that at some point on her journey, she could truly tell Cheren how she felt about him. But now, it was hopeless. If this woman killed him, she could never tell him.

She would never see him again.

Bianca lowered her head, her sadness now turning into frustration. Between Hilda, Cheren, and herself, she had always been the clumsy one, never able to do anything right. She had argued with her father tooth and nail just to go on her own Pokémon journey and still pursued this journey against his opposition. She struggled just to get one badge, lost her Pokémon once to Team Plasma and had to have Hilda's help in order to get them back, and lost every battle between her two best friends.

She was always scared to try to stand up to Team Plasma and did her best to avoid them. But now that she was in this predicament again, she would gladly give up her Pokémon to save Cheren.

But these grunts were different. They were out for blood. And they were about to kill Cheren if Bianca didn't do something. There was no time to hope that Hilda would come save them.

But what could Bianca do? They had already released both of their Pokémon, which had all run off somewhere. She was hopeless against this male grunt containing her.

Hopeless…that's all she ever was. She couldn't ever do anything right. Her dad always told her that going on a Pokémon journey was dangerous. And he had been right. If she hadn't gone on this journey, would any of this have happened? Would Cheren be on the verge of death right in front of her?

"C-Cheren…" she muttered.

"What was that?" the male grunt asked, not able to hear Bianca. She still had her head down.

"She probably still crying like a little bitch," the female grunt chuckled. "Helpless to watch as her boyfriend dies right in front of her." She knelt down and held the knife to Cheren's throat. "Ready to die?"

Bianca clenched her fists as the words 'hopeless' and 'helpless' rang through her head. She couldn't take it anymore. That's not who she was.

Not anymore.

"I…am…not…" Bianca growled through gritted teeth. "HELPLESS!" She shifted in action so fast, the male grunt had no idea what was coming. Bianca brought her knee up and threw her leg back as hard as she could, her foot lodging into the male grunt's groin. The grunt huffed out in pain and fell to the ground.

The female grunt looked over in confusion. "What?"

Bianca slowly made her way over to her best friend and the female grunt, a look of hatred crossing her face. She had never been this angry before and there was no containing it. This female grunt was in for it.

"D-don't come any closer!" the grunt said nervously. "I'll cut him! Don't think I won't do it!" she threatened, waving the knife dangerously close to Cheren's throat.

"Go, Stoutland!" Bianca shouted, pointing to the grunt.

"What?" the grunt glanced around in confusion. "Stoutland? You mean that one Pokémon of yours? Why are you call—?"

Before the grunt could finish her sentence, a large dog-like Pokémon charged out of nowhere and used Take Down on her. She went flying several yards before crashing into a tree, knocking herself out. The Stoutland roared loudly, standing defensively over Cheren.

"Stoutland, thank you…" Bianca patted her Pokémon's thick fur. "You guys were waiting for me to make a command, weren't you?" she asked as the rest of her Pokémon, Emboar, Musharna, and Simisage, emerged from the trees. All of Cheren's Pokémon came out as well. "I kinda wished you guys would have done something sooner, but I understand why you did it." Bianca smiled as she realized that her Pokémon had wanted her to be strong and prove that she wasn't truly hopeless.

Then she gasped, remember the bleeding Cheren at her feet. "Cheren!" she cried out, collapsing to her knees beside him. "Oh no, what do I do?" She was afraid to move Cheren, remembering all of the female grunt's kicks to his head. If he had a concussion, it wasn't a smart idea to move him. But he couldn't remain unconscious; if he did, it would be difficult to wake him up later.

"Bianca!" a female voice called out to her. Bianca turned her head at the familiar voice.

"Hilda?" she said, watching her brown-haired friend hop off of a Braviary and ran up to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Your Xtransceiver was on. I heard the entire conversation between you and Team Plasma!" Hilda explained, raising her arm to show Bianca her Xtransceiver.

"What? I never turned on my Xtransceiver?" Bianca glanced at her own device in confusion, then gasped. "Maybe the grunt holding my arms behind my back accidentally called you!"

"It looks like you took care of them, though," Hilda scratched her scalp nervously as she looked at the condition of the two grunts. "But Cheren needs some medical attention. Let's call for help."

"Okay," Bianca nodded, leaning over Cheren. "It's okay, Cheren, we're gonna get you help."

_And I'll have the courage to tell you the truth._

* * *

><p>Cheren opened his eyes slowly, blinded by a big light on the ceiling above him. He raised his hand in front of his face to shield his eyes and glanced around his surroundings to place where he was. Not helpful, since it was all a blur; he didn't have his glasses on.<p>

"Ouch…" him having to squint his eyes was now forcing him to feel a pounding sensation in his head.

"Cheren!" he heard Bianca's voice chime next to him. "You're awake!" Before he knew it, the girl, who smelled of a flowery perfume, was hugging him.

"B-Bianca?" Cheren said, not understanding what was going on.

"Cheren, I'm so glad you're all right…" Bianca said.

"Where am I?" Cheren asked.

"At the hospital in Castelia," Bianca replied, handing him his glasses. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Um, I remember us running into Team Plasma," he put his glasses on. "And they attacked us and released our Pokémon…"

"They did, but our Pokémon are very loyal to us," Bianca said happily, pointing to all of the Poké Balls containing their Pokémon on the desk next to him. "They must like us a lot!"

"They came back?" Cheren asked in confusion.

"Yeah, after you were knocked unconscious," Bianca said.

"Oh," Cheren reached up and felt the bandages wrapped around his head. "Yes, that."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help out sooner," Bianca apologized. "I did what I could."

"What happened after I passed out?"

"I took the grunts out. Well, the male one holding me back. I had Stoutland take care of the female."

Cheren stared at her. "You…took them out? By yourself?"

"Yes," Bianca scratched her cheek, flustered. "I-I'll explain later. I actually want to talk to you about something…"

"What is it?" Cheren questioned. Bianca fidgeted nervously.

"Y'know, yesterday, you could have died…"

"I've been passed out since yesterday?" Cheren interrupted. "Oh, sorry. Continue."

"It's okay," Bianca waved her hands. "It's just that…I've had something that I've wanted to say to you since I began this journey But whenever I saw you, I always figured that I could just tell you next time. And then this happened…so I don't want to wait to tell you anymore. I want you to know how I feel."

"Feel…about what?" Cheren tilted his head, trying to match Bianca's gaze as she turned away.

"Cheren…I-I really…l-like you…"

Cheren stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Typical female feelings, huh?"

"What?" Bianca gasped. "_Typical_?"

"I may be smart, but I'm not a genius on the Art of the Female Mind."

Bianca puffed her cheeks. "You don't have to be! I'm just telling you how I feel about you!"

"Okay," Cheren shifted his gaze. "Well, of course, I like you, too."

"W-what?" Bianca was taken aback. "You do?"

"See, when I say that, your mind immediately goes to romantic feelings rather than feelings of friendship. There are many different ways to like someone."

Bianca stared at him before lowering her eyebrow. "Well, then which is it?"

"Guess."

"I'm not going to guess! Just tell me!"

"…No." Cheren teased, smiling slightly.

"TELL ME!"

Outside of the room, Hilda was peeking in, watching as Bianca threatened to hit him. Hilda hoped she wouldn't or else Bianca might accidentally knock him out again, but she couldn't help but giggle at their conversation.

"Oh, Cheren," Hilda chuckled. "You know you love her, as she does you. He just can't help but tease her about it. They're meant for each other." She then sighed. "Now I just need to find someone… That kid on the Subway was kinda cute. Maybe I'll go look for him."

* * *

><p><strong>Cheren and Bianca are kinda cute, I have to admit. And there's a little ChessShipping in there! ;D<strong>

**~Midori**


	5. EgoShipping: Gary x Misty

**Ah. I'm pretty damn sure this has been done before, but I'm too lazy to think up anything creative for these two. This was the first thing that popped in my head, and I just feel that it works too well for them.**

* * *

><p><strong>EgoShipping: Gary x Misty<strong>

"Why don't you ever try going for Gary, Misty?" Dawn asked her redheaded friend during Study Hall. "You're so pretty. Why wouldn't he go for you?"

Misty glanced over at the blunette with a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look on her face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Gary Oak? You know, like, one of the hottest kids in school?"

"Dawn, I know who you're talking about. I was asking what do you mean? Gary of all people?" Misty rolled her eyes. "Absurd."

Dawn pulled a brush out of her schoolbag and began brushing loose strands from her hair. "You could try."

"I have no interest in someone like him," Misty drummed her fingers on her desk, just wishing she was at home. "Everyone knows all the hot kids are jerks."

"What? Like who?"

Misty glanced at her again, this time with a do-you-really-not-know face. "Do you really not know? Um, Drew is one."

"May wouldn't like to here that."

"Trip is another."

"Um, does anyone like Trip…?"

"*Ahem* _Paul?_"

Dawn stopped brushing her hair and puffed her cheeks. "H-hey!"

"Sorry, but he may actually be the biggest jerk of all of them," Misty pulled a stick of gum out of her polo shirt pocket, unwrapped it and began chewing on it.

"I'm surprised you didn't mention Ash," Dawn said.

"That's because he's not hot and he's not a jerk, he's just not that bright," Misty leaned back in her chair, turning her head to look out the window. The sky was filled will gray clouds that threatened rain at any moment. She reached for her schoolbag and moved her folders and notebooks around. She sighed. Great, she forgot her umbrella. Either that or Daisy swiped it from the table this morning and Misty just assumed she had already put it in her bag.

"Yeah, but he sure is popular with the girls for some reason," Dawn was now holding up a compact mirror to check her hair. "I mean, Anabel likes him. And Macy. And Angie. And Melody. And—"

"I think I get it," Misty held up her hand to stop her. "Probably because he's not a jerk like everyone else. But he _is _pretty dense."

"We're talking about the kid who has a crush on Giselle. And Cynthia, the history teacher," Dawn shut her compact mirror, smiling at her now perfectly straight hair. "Sigh, and yet, none of us have a boyfriend. I don't understand it."

"I don't really care for guys," Misty admitted. Actually, Dawn already knew this, Misty just wasn't sure why Dawn felt the need to constantly talk to her about boys. May would be a much better person to talk to.

But why did she bring up Gary of all people? All the girls fawned over him; if Misty were to date him, every girl in school would probably hate her. Not that she would care, but she doesn't need the attention or spitballs in her hair. Yeah, some of these girls were pretty spiteful. And gross.

Dating wasn't something she cared about. Schoolwork was more important. Besides, she already heard enough about boys from her sisters. It was tiring.

The redhead heard the bell ring, signaling the end of Study Hall. In a few minutes their English teacher, Lt. Surge, would enter and start class. Three more classes to go. Misty sighed again and stared out the window, hoping the rain wouldn't begin until after she got home.

* * *

><p>School finally ended and it was raining. So much for that.<p>

Misty hoped that she could just walk home with her sisters with their umbrellas, but they told Misty they didn't want anyone to know they were related to her. Not that it really mattered; no one would believe that Misty was related to them anyway.

She didn't live that far, and it's not like rain is harmful. She could walk home; she liked water anyway. She was a swimmer after all.

Well, she was just trying to think positive about the walk home.

Misty waved goodbye to her friends and walked the opposite direction of the building, telling her friends that she had to stay to finish an assignment. That was a lie, she just didn't want to tell anyone she didn't have an umbrella. May and Dawn lived the closest to her and she didn't want them to offer to walk home with her. She felt bad for thinking that way, but she really didn't want to get into yet _another _conversation about the cute boys at school. Or the latest gossip about how Kate and Summer ended up buying the same dress for the school dance coming up.

Misty waited around for awhile until the school was nearly empty. Of course it then began raining harder.

She walked back to the front of the school, switched her slippers for her shoes at the shoe locker and stood in the doorway for another few minutes. After sighing about five times, she finally stepped out into the downpour.

She thought about running, but it wouldn't make a difference. She would be soaked either way, so she shrugged and just continued walking.

"Hey!"

Misty paused. It was raining pretty hard, but she was sure she heard someone yelling. She glanced around, not being able to see much past ten feet.

"Hey! Kasumi!"

Okay, now she knew that whoever had been speaking was addressing her. By last name, apparently. Either they were really polite or they didn't know her first name. But if they knew her last name that meant they knew who her sisters were. Huh.

Still not seeing who was talking to her, she was surprised when she couldn't feel the rain beating on her anymore. She glanced up, a green umbrella over her head.

"What are you doing without an umbrella? You'll catch a cold!"

Misty gasped as she recognized the voice. She spun around and was now facing Gary Oak, his green eyes gleaming.

"Um, my sisters…" Misty paused. Crap, she mentioned she had sisters.

"You mean the Sensational Sisters?" Gary asked. "Yeah, I would assume you mean to say that there are only three umbrellas in the household and they are the obvious ones to get them, leaving you without."

Misty wasn't sure if she should have been offended by the 'obvious' comment or not. "P-pretty much…"

"Well, that's not cool. Don't you have money to buy your own umbrella?"

She was getting confused. Was Gary Oak of all people really talking to her? And why? He could have just kept on walking down the street and ignored her, but he stopped and offered his umbrella instead. "I get an allowance, but my sisters are always borrowing my money and never paying me back…"

Gary frowned. He looked pretty mad. "You shouldn't let them take advantage of you like that."

"I guess," Misty shrugged.

"Here," Gary held out his umbrella. Misty stared at the handle.

"What?"

"Take it."

"…What?" She raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"C'mon, Kasumi, I know you're a smart girl," Gary grabbed her hand and forced the handle into it. "Take the umbrella."

Misty thought this was a joke, but just decided to go with it. They stood in silence for a moment and Misty was just waiting for Gary to just snatch the umbrella and run off, calling her a sucker for believing he would let her borrow his umbrella. At least then she could finally just walk home and move on with life.

But he never did.

"So, are you going to walk home or just stand there?" he asked.

"Well, I have your umbrella," Misty said.

"Yes, I know that," Gary chuckled. "Now walk home with it!"

"…Is this a joke?"

"No!" Gary looked offended. "Go ahead. Keep it. I'll get a new one later."

"You're _giving_ me your umbrella?" Misty's eyes widened.

"Why not? I wouldn't want you to mess up that pretty red hair of yours," Gary grinned.

Misty blinked several times. "My pretty…_what? _What are you saying to me?"

"Man, for a smart girl, you are dense sometimes," Gary patted her head. "Please don't be like Ash. But hey, I have to go. I'll see you later, Kasumi!" Gary raised his schoolbag over his head and began running in the opposite direction.

"Hey, wait, Oak!" Misty called out.

"Call me Gary!" he yelled back.

"Well, then, call me Misty!" she said.

"Sure thing!"

"Hey!" But Gary was already out of sight. Misty twirled the umbrella in her hands, still completely confused by what just happened. Then she held out the hand that Gary had touched and stared at it.

She sighed. "Gary Oak…"

* * *

><p>"Oh my Arceus, Misty!" Dawn randomly threw her bag when she reached her shoe locker that next morning. Her eyes were wide and Misty was waiting for her to just begin ranting about Paul or something.<p>

"What is it?" she asked when Dawn didn't say anything.

"T-that umbrella—!" the blunette pointed to the green umbrella Misty was getting ready to put into her locker.

"What about it?" Misty asked.

"That's Gary Oak's umbrella!"

Misty stared at it, turned it in her hand, then glanced at Dawn with a how-the-hell-did-you-know-that face. "How the hell did you know that? It's just a plain green umbrella?"

"Cause it's got Gary's name on it," Dawn grabbed the umbrella and folded out a certain area on the end, showing Gary's scribbly signature. Misty didn't even notice.

"Oh," she said. "Um, yeah."

"What did you do, steal it out of his locker?" Dawn gasped.

"Of course not," Misty answered, appalled that her friend would even think she would do something like that. "I'm just borrowing it. He gave it to me yesterday since I didn't have one."

"I told you that you could keep it."

Dawn and Misty both jumped when they heard Gary's voice from behind them. They turned around to spot him smirking at them.

"Gary," Misty began, "I don't—"

"I already bought a new one," Gary held out his new brown and white umbrella. "See?"

"Ah!" Misty shrieked. "W-why? Now I have to pay you back!"

"Calm down, Misty," Gary smirked. "I don't need your money. Just keep the damn umbrella."

Misty made a face, but decided it was pointless to continue arguing. "F-fine."

"Hey, I gotta go talk to Ms. Roxanne, but I'll talk to you later!" Gary winked before heading off to class.

Misty began counting in her head to see how long it would take before—

"WHOA, MISTY, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT TELLING ME?"

Two point six seconds.

"Dawn, you're loud," Misty stuck a finger in her ear.

"You have to tell me all about it! Ahhhhhh!" Dawn squealed. Misty sure was looking forward to that.

But she was surprised. Gary was a pretty nice guy. At least to her. She was wrong to assume that just because he was popular and handsome didn't exactly mean he was a jerk. She just knew he always had a scowl or a nasty smirk on his face.

She still didn't care for guys.

…But maybe she would ask him to the school dance or something. Get to know him more. No harm in that, right?

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, the typical high school story. I was thinking about making it even more cliché with Gary being the quarterback and Misty being a nerd or a cheerleader or something, but it didn't fit them well.<strong>

**~Midori**


	6. FlavescentShipping: Trip x Iris

**Here's another challenge: Flavescent. I haven't watched much of Best Wishes, and I've only seen Trip once or twice, so let's hope I don't screw this up.**

* * *

><p><strong>FlavescentShipping: Trip x Iris<strong>

_Click._

Iris blinked and spun around. All she saw was the thick brush of the forest.

"Hey," she spoke up as she stopped walking, causing Ash and Cilan to pause as well. "Did you guys hear something?"

"I didn't hear anything," Ash said. He turned to Cilan. "Did you?"

Cilan shook his head. "No. What did it sound like?"

Iris gazed behind her for a long moment before responding. "Nah, maybe I was hearing things. Let's keep going."

The group continued walking through the forest, hoping to emerge from it soon and reach the next city before sunset.

_Click_.

Iris stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around. Maybe the first time she was imagining things, but she knew for sure that she heard it this time. Without Cilan and Ash realizing she had paused, Iris decided to continue walking. One step, two steps, three…

_Click_.

She smirked, as she recognized exactly what that noise was.

"Hey, guys, I'm kinda tired," Iris said, addressing the group. "Why don't we just stay in here tonight?"

"You want to sleep in the forest tonight?" Ash asked in a disapproving tone. "But I wanna reach the next town by tonight!"

"Kid, it's not like we're in a hurry!" Iris put her hands on her hips. "There's not even a Gym in the next town."

"She's right, Ash," Cilan said. "Besides, we're not even entirely sure if we're going in the right direction anyway. It'll get dark soon. Let's just camp out here and get dinner started."

As if on cue, Ash's stomach rumbled loudly. "Uh, okay… Might as well. I'm getting hungry."

"You're always hungry," Iris teased.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy!" Ash said loudly.

"Kid, you've been growing for ten years. Probably even more than that…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. I've heard stories."

"From who?"

"Pikachu."

"What?"

"Guys, hey!" Cilan stepped in between them, waving his hands. "Stop arguing. Let's settle down, okay?"

"Fine," Iris crossed her arms. "Ash, how about you go find some firewood?"

"What? Why me?" the raven-haired trainer pointed to himself.

"Because I'm gonna go look for some Berries," Iris said, setting down her knapsack. "I saw some high in the trees a ways back."

"Those would go great in the soup," Cilan said, taking out a giant pot from his backpack…somehow. How did that thing fit in there?

"I'll be back," Iris said, turning and sprinting off from the way they came.

Once she was out of sight from the boys, she spotted a big oak tree and began climbing it. When she was about fifteen feet up, she found a sturdy branch and sat herself upon it. She narrowed her eyes and glanced around, hoping that she could find what she was looking for through the thick brush of trees and the darkness now beginning to envelop the forest. Fortunately for her, she found it.

Or rather, she found _him_.

She leapt to the next tree and found a low-hanging branch to swing from. She grabbed it and launched herself forward.

"I see you~!" she called out and landed right in front of him. He looked as if he had been trying to run, but Iris blocked his path. "Caught you!"

"Damn," the boy cursed. He was holding something silver that shimmered from the setting sun peeking through the trees.

"This," Iris snatched the device from the boy, "is what gave yourself away, Trip!" She held up the camera to her face with a devious grin.

"I was…" Trip averted his gaze, trying to choose the right words. "I was taking pictures of Pokémon. I didn't realize I right behind you guys until you stopped, so I…"

"Tried to take off?" Iris finished his sentence. "Because you didn't want me to find out that you _weren't _taking pictures of Pokémon?"

"What are you talking about?" Trip asked, watching her fiddle with his camera.

"Because, I have good hearing," Iris pointed to her ear. "There weren't any Pokémon behind us. I would have noticed."

Trip didn't have anything to say. Iris continued to poke and prod at the camera, finally puffing her cheeks in frustration.

"How does this thing work?" she asked.

"Give it to me and I'll show you," Trip held out his hand.

"I don't think so, mister!" Iris turned her back to Trip, still trying to decipher the electronic device. "I've never actually—oh!" Iris clicked a button, and a flash went off at her face. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Ahh!"

"Iris!" Trip stepped in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Argh, take this thing!" she shoved the camera toward Trip, almost smacking him in the face. He took the camera while she rubbed her eyes. "That was horrid!"

"You somehow turned the flash on," Trip said as he adjusted the settings on his camera.

"Arceus, who invented that thing?" Iris blinked a few times, trying to readjust her eyes.

"Some great person, I guess," Trip shrugged. "But cameras are amazing. They can capture any particular moment, like a majestic Fire Spin from a Tepig or a beautiful Thunderbolt from a Blitzle, and keep that moment in freeze frame forever. It's a wonderful thing."

Iris stared at Trip, still blinking consistently. Trip had a huge grin on his face as he gazed at his camera. She didn't realize how much it had meant to him.

She then remembered why she snatched the camera in the first place. She giggled.

"So," she leaned in toward him, smirking, "what were you taking pictures of?"

Trip flinched. "Nothing."

"Liar, I heard you take at least three pictures."

"How?"

Iris rolled her eyes and pointed to her ears again. "How do you think I knew that you were here?"

Trip didn't respond. Iris continued giggling and he blushed.

"Seriously, I wanna know," Iris continued to pester him.

"The trees."

"Are they really that interesting?"

"Sure."

"Then let me see! Show me how the camera can make even a tree look magnificent."

"No."

"Aww, why not?" Iris pouted. Trip averted his gaze again, not wanting to look at her…_cute _face.

"All right, all right!" Trip gave up. "Do you wanna see the pictures?"

Iris beamed. "Sure!"

Trip held out the camera so that Iris could see the frame. He pressed a button, allowing him to go through his recent pictures. The first picture was a close-up of Iris's squinting face as she was startled by the flash.

"Agh!" Iris shrieked. "Get rid of that! I look horrible!"

Trip ignored her and moved onto the next few pictures. Iris stared at it for a minute. She knew Trip hadn't been taking pictures of Pokémon, but she didn't realize that _she _was the one he was taking pictures of.

"Why…?" she couldn't finish her question, for she wasn't sure what to ask. She glanced over at Trip, whose cheeks were a light shade of pink.

"I like to takes pictures of people," he said. "See? I have some pictures of everyone at the tournament a few weeks ago."

Sure enough, he did have pictures of everyone gathered on the sidelines at the Club Battle tournament. Georgia glaring at Iris, Burgundy arguing with Cilan, Luke's Zorua jumping on Bianca's face, Stephan conversing with Luke, Ash trying to film the battles with Luke's camera…

And there were plenty of pictures of Iris after she won the trophy. Her happy, excited, beaming face. Trip had captured a lot of good pictures of her.

"Oh…" she tapped her finger to her cheek. "Okay. Well, that's cool! Do you develop these pictures?"

"Yes, I just haven't for awhile," Trip told her.

"Well, can I ask a favor?"

Trip raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"Next time you develop them, can you make doubles? I would like some pictures!" Iris raised her hand. Trip smiled and nodded.

"Sure," he said. "Should I give Ash and Cilan the goofy one that you took of yourself?"

"Argh, no!" Iris playfully punched his arm. "I'll hurt you!"

Trip laughed. "Fine, I won't."

Iris gazed at him for a moment before smiling. "Y'know, you're always the one behind the camera, so there aren't any pictures of you! You should take one!"

"What?" Trip gave her a funny look. "Why would I do that?"

"How about this?" Iris suddenly leaned in so close toward Trip that their cheeks were almost touching. "Let's take a picture of the two of us! That way, it won't look funny if it's just you!"

Trip was glad that Iris wasn't close enough to feel how warm his face was. But then he caught her last sentence. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Iris chuckled. "I'm just messing with you! Now c'mon!" She grabbed his hand that was holding the camera and lifted it up. "Take a picture! Just make sure the flash is off."

"I-it is," he stuttered at her touch. He reached his finger over the button and pressed it.

_Click_.

"Yay!" Iris cheered. "Lemme see!"

Trip pressed the back button, revealing the last picture of him and Iris. He blushed.

"Awesome! That's a good picture!" Iris smiled.

"Yeah…" Trip said.

"Okay, well, I should probably get back to my group before they worry that I've been eaten by a Beartic or something," Iris joked. "I'll see you later, Trip!" She winked at him before running off and leaping into a tree.

Trip watched as she finally slipped outta sight, glancing back at the picture of the two of them.

He would keep that picture forever.

* * *

><p><strong>Trip is so OOC… Probably. Argh.<strong>

**~Midori**


	7. GracefulShipping: Wallace x Winona

***Facepalm* So, it's definitely a given that GracefulShipping won. Arceus.**

**Okay, so I haven't read that far in the Ruby and Sapphire chapter, so I haven't gotten to know the past of Winona and Wallace's relationship. I guess I could look it up, but I don't want to screw anything up.**

**So this is what I'll do: This will take place in Gameverse, but imagine that I'm attempting to write from the perspective of Mangaverse.**

* * *

><p><strong>GracefulShipping: Wallace x Winona<strong>

_I look to the sky and remember that I once held you in my arms._

_It's hard to recall why we are not together anymore. I try not to think about it and just try to remember the good memories._

_The light blue sky is neverending. Maybe if I find a way to fly towards it, I can have you back._

_Or is that just a silly dream?_

_Dreams are awful things. They're misleading. They lead you to wake up to a hated reality._

_The reality that you are no longer in._

_The dark clouds begin to roll in and threaten rain._

_Rain… Water… My favorite type of Pokémon. Just as Flying is yours._

_Although I do wonder which is more dangerous: the seemingly never-ending sky that leads outside of Earth where there is no oxygen or the crashing waves of the ocean that could easily pull one down under where there is no way to breathe._

_Both are deadly. And maybe neither are meant to be together. The sky is above while the water is below. They will never touch one another._

_And I will never feel your body wrapped in my arms again._

_Lightning lights up the dark sky for only a moment and a crash of thunder echoes through the night air._

_It is now that I wonder where you are and if you are okay._

_I miss you, my dear Winona._

* * *

><p><em>I look to the ocean and wonder what I did wrong.<em>

_There is no way to recall good memories because all I can hear is the yelling and the screaming and the bad words that brought me to tears._

_I stare at the dark waters and begin to walk toward the edge of the cliff to get a better view._

_I have nightmares about you every night._

_But nightmares aren't as bad as dreams. At least when you wake from a nightmare, you can be glad that it's over. Dreams make you believe that your wishes have come true, only to be disappointed when you wake up to a hated reality._

_A reality that still has you in it._

_The waves are getting higher and higher. It would be much too dangerous to travel with a Water-type Pokémon._

_Water-type Pokémon… They're your favorite type, just as I fancy Flying-types._

_We did get into a discussion one day as to which type was better. It was a silly argument, but I truly believe Flying-types to be superior to Water-types. But maybe it's all a matter of opinion. I loved showing you the skies with my Altaria as you loved to traverse the waves with me on your Milotic._

_But all of that is in the past that we can never return to. The sky should have never attempted to be close to the water. It was never meant to be._

_And it hurts. It hurts far too much for me to handle._

_I hold out my arms as if I'm preparing for flight, but that's not what I'm doing. The sky is my breath, but the water does not provide that._

_It is now that I take the plunge and the splash can barely be heard over the waves slamming against the cliff._

_I miss you, Wallace. But this is where my life ends._


	8. HandymanShipping: Tracey x Daisy

**HandymanShipping: Tracey x Daisy**

_Dear diary,_

_Today I like totally met this guy at the coffee shop. He was the cashier and like I don't know, diary. He was kinda…cute. He seemed kinda nerdy and didn't seem like my type, but his smile was perfect and I couldn't help but blush. He was so nice to me, but maybe he's just like that with every customer. That coffee shop did a great job hiring him. I don't go to that coffee shop much, but maybe I'll go tomorrow._

_Good night, diary_

_Daisy_

* * *

><p><em>Dear diary,<em>

_This time, I noticed his nametag. His name is Tracey. He smiled at me again today with that cute smile of his. Diary, what do I do? He's cute, but he's not hot! This is so weird. Maybe it's just his smile. No, I don't think I'm falling for him. That can't be right. But why did I visit the coffee shop then? I don't know! I just won't go tomorrow._

_Good night, diary_

_Daisy_

* * *

><p><em>Dear diary,<em>

_How did this happen?! I went to the coffee shop today (I know I said I wouldn't, but, um, they have REALLY good coffee…) and Tracey actually asked me out! I didn't know what to do! The guys working next to him were picking on him and saying there was no way he could have a chance with me, so I panicked and said yes! It totally wasn't because he's cute and has a cute smile. Totally. So now I guess we're going out tomorrow night. I'm not really nervous, but I just hope he's not like secretly a freak or anything. Ugh._

_Good night, diary_

_Daisy_

* * *

><p><em>Dear diary,<em>

_OMG DIARY TRACEY IS AMAZING! I have to say, I think he's got the best personality out of any guy I've ever dated. He's soooo sweet. He took me to a nice restaurant, one of the best in town, and then he took me out for ice cream. I thought it was kinda strange at first, but it was…relaxing. I felt like I was really myself around him. He's funny and cute and sweet and he's got this really adorable laugh! Argh, diary, I don't even know! And he didn't even try to kiss me like most of the guys do! But, I can't believe I'm actually the one that asked for his number… Diary, what do I do? Boy, I wish you could talk, but there's no way I'm telling my sisters about this…_

_Good night, diary_

_Daisy_

* * *

><p><em>Dear diary,<em>

…_I called him today and asked him out on another date. Tomorrow, there's a festival out by the lake and there will be fireworks and I just couldn't pass up the offer! I don't really have much else to say. I guess we'll just see what happens tomorrow…_

_Good night, diary_

_Daisy_

* * *

><p><em>Dear diary,<em>

_OmgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgOMG DIARY I KISSED HIM I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING BUT HIS LIPS WERE RIGHT THERE AND I COULDN'T HELP IT AND LIKE I TOTALLY LIKED IT AND I THINK HE DID TOO BUT DIARY I CAN'T BELIEVE IT I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY LIKE HIM!_

…_Now that I've calmed down, I think it's safe to say we're going out now. And diary, I have to say…he might not be my type, but I don't care. I like him and that's what matters. :) Now the thing is how to break this to my sisters…_

_Good night, diary_

_Daisy_

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not much of a HandymanShipper, but I think Tracey is, for some reason, easily Shippable. Daisy? I can't really pair her with anyone… -_-<strong>

**~Midori**


	9. IkariShipping: Paul x Dawn

**Okay, so IkariShipping took the cake, which I guess I sadly saw coming. Not really sadly in a bad way (I actually really like IkariShipping) but in the way that the Shipping's so popular…**

**So, since I already did an IkariShipping one-shot not that long ago (_100 Themes, 100 Pairings_ chapter three), I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. But then something came to me and I think it would work for them.**

* * *

><p><strong>IkariShipping: Paul x Dawn<strong>

"…Dawn?" Ash walked up to his blunette friend after days of not seeing her. He was shocked to find that she was in the same exact place that she was three days ago when he left her, sitting upon a huge rock. "You're still here?"

Dawn had been looking toward the sky, the setting sun casting a low orange glow on the sky. She slightly glanced just enough to see the raven-haired boy, a look of pure sorrow on her face.

"…What…?" her voice was raspy from apparent disuse.

"Dawn, c'mon now. It's been three days," Ash frowned. "Have you even bothered to move to use the bathroom?"

Dawn slowly lifted her arm in order to point toward a bush and some trees a few yards away.

"Um, okay…" Ash made a face, bothered that Dawn would actually resort something like that when there was a Pokémon Center just up the road. "What about food?"

Dawn pointed to her bag that was resting along the bottom of the rock. Ash picked it up and rummaged through it. "There's hardly anything in here! All I see is a rice ball and a chocolate bar. You won't last another day!"

Dawn didn't respond. Ash sighed.

"Look, Brock and I came back because we were really worried. He's at the Pokémon Center now; he figured I should try talking to you first," Ash fished through his own bag and pulled out a sandwich. He held it out to her. "Here. I know you didn't have much food in your bag to begin with. Please eat this."

The blunette raised her eyebrows from her sad eyes, barely enough for Ash to notice. She reached down to take the sandwich. She examined the contents of it—turkey and cheese with mayonnaise, her favorite—before taking a small bite out of it.

"That's good," Ash smiled slightly, just glad to at least know she was hungry enough to eat it. "Listen, it's supposed to rain tonight. Do you want to join Brock and I at the Pokémon Center? I know you've been waiting, but…" Ash trailed off, not sure how to finish the sentence.

"…I appreciate it, but I said I would wait here…" Dawn spoke so softly, Ash had to strain to hear her.

"Dawn…" Ash looked down. She had already been here for three days. Would she ever give up? "Fine, just, don't catch a cold. Here," Ash reached into his bag again and pulled out an umbrella. "Just promise me you'll use this."

Dawn grabbed the umbrella and set it next to her.

Ash huffed in defeat. "We'll be back tomorrow. Just…be safe." Ash waved to her as he walked off. Dawn wanted to thank him, but he was already far away.

She sat hugging her knees as she remembered _his _face. Paul, the object of her affections. At this exact spot three days ago, she had confessed her feelings for him. He hadn't even flinched or acted surprised as he told her that he didn't know what to tell her and that he was too busy with other things to give her answer. So Dawn didn't take that as a rejection, she took it as an unsure answer. So as he walked away, she clenched her fists and yelled out:

"_Then I'll wait right here for you! When you figure out your answer, come back here and I'll be waiting!_"

Paul hadn't even bothered to turn around, only waving his hand as he disappeared down the road.

And so Dawn kept good on her word. She sat on the rock and told Ash and Brock that she would wait right on that rock for him, no matter how long it took. Ash thought she was being absurd, but Brock tried to explain to him that if Dawn really liked him that she would be determined to get an answer. He told Ash that they should keep going and that maybe in a few hours she would get bored and give up.

But she didn't. Except for using the bathroom, eating and attempting to sleep on the rock (she at least gave up on that one since it was beyond uncomfortable and decided to sleep on the grass), she remained perfectly still on the rock just gazing at the sky.

So far she hadn't had to worry about the weather, but she jumped a little when she felt a few raindrops graze her cheeks. She opened up the umbrella and held it over her, blocking out the rain. She was glad that her friends cared about her enough to return and check up on her. She felt bad for making them worry.

But she had to know how he felt. Paul was stubborn, but he wasn't the only one.

After an hour of sitting in the rain, she felt herself begin to doze off. The rain always had that effect to make her sleepy, but it was only eight o'clock. She couldn't sleep now! She slowly closed her eyes…

"Honestly? You're still _here_?"

Dawn's eyes instantly shot open as that familiar voice rung through her ears. She glanced over and spotted Paul, standing there with both of his hands in his pockets. He didn't have anything protecting him from the rain.

"P-Paul!" she stuttered, hopping off of the rock to walk up to him.

"Are you stupid or something?" he asked and she puffed her cheeks.

"Of course not!" Dawn clenched her fist. "I _told _you I would wait for you!"

"You put your entire journey on hold just to wait on a rock for me? How is that not stupid?" he stared at her and she noticed he wasn't scowling like he usually was. His face actually looked…concerned?

"N-no…" she blushed and turned her head. It was all a little silly, maybe, but he came back! It was worth it, right? "W-what are you doing here, then?"

Paul didn't answer for a minute. "I…" he hesitated and Dawn was confused. He never stumbled on his words. "I didn't believe you."

Dawn blinked. "What?"

"I didn't think you would really wait for me."

"Wait…so did you came back just to see if I really waited?"

Paul shuffled his feet. He looked cold. Dawn held out her umbrella for him, risking getting wet herself.

"I'm already soaked," he pointed out, pushing the umbrella back toward her.

"So?" She struggled to push it back. They kept shoving it back toward one another until Dawn grunted and flung the umbrella to the side. Paul stared at her.

"You're really stupid, you know that?"

"No, I just care about you," Dawn answered simply. Paul's eyes widened for just a split second before he closed them and huffed.

"Whatever."

Dawn crossed her arms. "So, you came back. Now give me an answer!"

Paul walked past her and bent over to pick up the umbrella. He stepped toward her until he was standing right next to her so that they were both under the umbrella.

"What are you doing?" she asked in confusion. "I'm already soaked now, too!"

Paul glanced at her before turning away and Dawn could swear that she saw a pink tint on his cheeks.

"Maybe I care about you, too."

* * *

><p><strong>WHY ARE THESE ALL SO CHEESY?<strong>

**Right when I wrote the sentence about Ash warning Dawn of rain, I was instantly reminded of the episode where the Charmander waited for its trainer on the rock and refused to move until he returned. And another similarity? Both Dawn and Charmander were waiting for complete jerks! AHAHAHAHA!**

…**I kid, I kid. I like Paul. Although him abandoning Chimchar…**

**~Midori**


	10. JohtoFestaShipping: Khoury x Lyra

**So, I hardly watched the episodes that included Lyra and Khoury, so when I looked up JohtoFesta on Bulbapedia, it stated that it was practically considered one-sided canon from Lyra's side. **_**Canon.**_

**Good enough for me.**

**But that has nothing to do with any of this because Lyra and Khoury are little kids in this one-shot! Actually, everyone in this is a little kid. :P**

**Slight mentions of other Shippings.**

* * *

><p><strong>JohtofestaShipping: Khoury x Lyra<strong>

A five-year-old Lyra puffed up her cheeks as she argued with Dawn. "Nu-uh! Khoury is silly! I won't marry him!"

"You have to!" Dawn stomped her foot. "Because Ash is mine! You can marry Khoury!"

The two of them, including Misty, May, and Iris, were by the table in the corner of their daycare. Misty and May were sitting in the chairs eating their cookies for snack time. Iris was sitting on the corner of the table while Lyra and Dawn were standing up, obviously very animated in their argument about who will grow up to marry which boy.

"Dawn, that's not right," Misty said, reaching to grab a cookie only to realize May already snatched the last one. "I thought you wanted to marry Paul."

"Yeah, but I like Ash, too!" Dawn crossed her arms and pouted. "Can't I have both?"

"No! You can only have one boy!" Lyra stuck her index finger in Dawn's face. "And you already have Paul! So I get Ash!"

"But I thought Misty had Ash," Iris said, munching on her cookie.

"W-what?" Misty blushed. "I-I never said I wanted Ash!"

"Yeah, she can have Brock!" Lyra said. At that comment, everyone frowned. Misty stuck her tongue out.

"Bleh!" Misty shook her head. "No way!"

"Then Misty doesn't have to have anyone," Lyra shrugged.

"Wait a second," Dawn turned to Iris. "Doesn't Iris have two people?"

Iris was licking some of the chocolate from the cookie off of her fingers. "What do you mean?"

"Doesn't she have Cilan and Trip?"

"Whaaaat?" Iris didn't blush, but she began laughing hysterically. "No! Cilan's cute, but I don't wanna marry him! And I think Trip likes me, but I don't like him like that."

Lyra watched May shove another cookie in her mouth whole. "May, you're lucky. You don't have to argue about these things because you and Drew already chose each other."

May gulped the cookie and coughed as she almost choked. Misty rolled her eyes. May just shrugged. "It's not really that. He just…likes to give me flowers. That's all."

"MAY, THAT MEANS HE LIKES YOU!" The four girls shouted at May, causing the other kids to glance over and look at them. May held out her hands.

"OKAY!" she felt it necessary to yell back.

Lyra sighed. "I just don't get it. Why would you think I would _ever _marry Khoury?"

"Well, you guys have known each other since before going to daycare," Misty said. "That's, like, a really long time."

"It's just because our moms are friends! That doesn't mean anything!" Lyra said.

"But you guys get along well," Iris said. "Why wouldn't you want to marry him?"

"Because!" Lyra balled her hands into a fist. "He's just silly! And he's not even that cute!"

"Who said you had to marry a boy because he's cute?" Iris said. "What about…um, what's that long word? It begins with a 'P'? Pro… Per…"

"Personality?" Misty said.

"Yeah, personailibity!" Iris mispronounced. "That word!"

"What's that mean?" May gave Iris a funny look.

"It means how the act," Misty said. "Like Drew is stuck up and Paul is a meanie face."

"HEY!" May and Dawn shouted in anger and Misty shrugged.

"What?" the redhead asked.

Lyra shook her head. "Personalibity?" She sat in thought for a moment. Khoury? Why didn't she like the thought of marrying him? They were good friends and they had known each other for a long time. And he was really nice.

Lyra liked Ash because she thought he was cute. But Ash really was kind of rash and hyper. On the other hand, maybe Khoury looked silly with his glasses and poofy hair, but he was really nice to her. He also protected her from a neighborhood dog that was chasing her. Would Ash have done that? Lyra laughed as she imagined the raven-haired boy running away in tears.

Maybe Iris was right. Lyra smiled.

"Hey, Lyra." Lyra jumped as she was suddenly being addressed. She spun around and was face to face with Khoury.

"Hi!" he waved to her.

"Hi, Khoury," Lyra grinned. "What's up?"

"What are you girls doing?" Khoury asked.

"We're deciding on who we're gonna marry when we grow up!" Lyra held out her arms in excitement.

"Marry? Really?" Khoury gave her a puzzling look. "Well, who are you going to marry, Lyra?"

"I think I'm gonna marry you, Khoury!" Lyra gave him a big hug. Dawn, Misty, May, and Iris' mouths dropped in shock. Khoury blushed.

"W-what?" Khoury flailed his arms. "Are you for real?"

"I'm totally for real!" Lyra smiled as she glanced up at him. "Will you marry me, too?"

"U-um, well, we have to grow up first!" Khoury said, fixing his now askew glasses.

"Okay!" Lyra said, letting him go and holding out her pinky. "Promise when we grow up you'll marry me?"

Khoury stared at her for a moment. She glanced at the girls behind her, Dawn holding a thumbs up. The other three were grinning happily. Khoury looked back at Lyra and smiled before taking her pinky with his own.

"Sure!"

* * *

><p><strong>So, maybe little kids don't think so much about personality and looks, much less love, but whatever. Ten year olds don't really think much of any of that either, but they're already ten, so I had to make them younger…<strong>

**Just ignore all of that. I hope you enjoyed!**

**~Midori**


	11. KitchenMaidShipping: Brock x Autumn

**KitchenMaidShipping: Brock x Autumn**

"Oh man, it's so busy today!"

Autumn fretted as the café was bustling with visitors today. There must have been some kind of festival or big event going on in the next town over in order for them to be getting so many passerby today in the restaurant.

She and her sisters, Spring and Summer, were swapping off on duties. Right now, Spring was handling the food and desserts, Summer was in charge of register and taking orders, and Autumn took care of the drinks and serving. Autumn was doing okay by herself, but she had only wished that she had some extra help.

_Man, I don't think we've ever been so busy before, _Autumn thought as she grabbed a tray of two banana splits. She rushed to bring them to the back table, but she caught her foot in the welcome mat near the door and stumbled forward.

"Oh no!" she yelped out, having no way to catch herself. She tried to hold onto the tray as best as she could, but it was no use as it flung from her grip into the air. She closed her eyes bracing for impact, but ended up slamming into someone instead of hitting the ground.

"O-oh," she didn't even hear the tray crash into the floor or the shatter of the glass bowls. She peeked around the person she had bumped into to spot a familiar face catch the tray of desserts.

"A-Ash!" she gasped.

"Whoa, that was a close one!" Ash chuckled as he held out the tray to her. "Hello, Autumn."

"T-then…" she glanced up to meet eyes with the person she had just collided with. Or rather, closed slits. "B-Brock!"

"Hey, Autumn!" the tall, dark-skinned boy she had feelings for was now standing before her with a huge smile on his face. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I am," she felt her cheeks heat up. "T-thank you."

"Autumn, what are you doing?" Summer called out to her. "We're running behind!"

"S-sorry!" Autumn snatched the tray from Ash and ran it to the designated table, apologizing to the patrons for the wait. She ran back by Ash and Brock, now noticing Dawn standing behind them. "We're really busy today."

"I can see that," Brock glanced around the crowded restaurant. "You guys look like you could you some help."

"What?" Autumn raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I mean, yes, that would be great, but you don't have to…"

"Don't worry about it!" Brock waved his hands. "We just stopped in for some dessert, but we don't have anything else going on. We can offer a hand." He turned around to face his friends. "Are you guys okay with that?"

"As long as I don't have to dress up in something embarrassing again," Ash muttered.

"It's fine, we don't have time for that!" Autumn said. "Just grab an apron and I'll assign you somewhere."

The group of four headed to the back, where Summer was about to hand a tray of food to Autumn. Her eyes widened when she spotted the three people behind her. "Ah, Brock, Ash, Dawn! What are you guys doing here?"

"No time!" Autumn said. "They're here to help. Where are the extra aprons?"

"Um," Summer reached under the counter beneath the register and pulled out three. "Here you go." She handed them to the boys and Dawn. "Well it's great that they're here. Let's switch off again. And the dishes are starting to pile up, so we need to get started on those as well."

"I can do those," Dawn raised her hand.

"Great!" Summer clapped her hands. "Spring can take care of register, Ash and I can serve food, and Autumn and Brock can handle the food. Sound good?"

"Yes," everyone agreed. They spent the next minute getting into their assigned locations.

Autumn and Brock agreed on their tasks in order to get things running smoothly; he would handle the desserts and cooking the meat for the burgers while she would cut up the lettuce, tomatoes and other fruits, whether they were for the salads or burgers.

Autumn wanted to talk to Brock and catch up on how he had been since they had last seen each other, but with the rush she didn't want to fall behind so she kept silent and stayed focused.

There wasn't any time for breaks, either. They hadn't even gotten another chance to switch off and Autumn was beginning to tire of cutting the fruit.

_My arm's starting to hurt…_ she thought, her cutting speed starting to slow down as her arm grew heavy.

And then in an unfortunate mishap, Autumn missed the tomato and cut her finger.

"Oww!" she winced and dropped the knife.

"Autumn!" Brock spun around and rushed to her side. "Are you okay?"

"I-I cut my finger…" Autumn teared up as her finger began spewing blood.

"Oh my gosh, that's a bad cut!" Brock grabbed a clean towel from the end of the counter and threw it over her finger. "Do you have any bandages?"

"I think there's some by the register," Autumn said, trying not to cry. She had cut her fingers many times before, but this may have been the worst of them all.

"I'll go get you one, just hold on!" Brock ran off to go get a bandage. Autumn held the towel tightly over her finger so as not to get blood everywhere.

"Ugh, Brock must think I'm pathetic…" she frowned. "Crying over a stupid cut. I should be tougher than this…"

Brock returned a minute later with Spring right behind him.

"Autumn!" Spring rushed to her younger sister's side and Brock began unwrapping the bandage. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'll be fine," she chuckled, trying to ignore the pain. "It hurts a bit, but I think I'll be all right."

"Let me see your finger," Brock said as Autumn removed the towel from her finger. "It's still bleeding pretty bad. Let's wrap this around it pretty tight." Brock carefully held Autumn's injured hand in one of his hands while slowly and skillfully wrapping the bandage around the wound with the other. Autumn held as still as possible for Brock to be able to apply the bandage correctly, but mostly because she couldn't believe he was holding onto her hand. His soft, caring hand…

"There, I think that's good," Brock finished. "Is it too tight?"

Autumn examined her finger. It was still in some pain, but it was wrapped perfectly and there wasn't any more blood running down her finger. "No, it's just right! Thank you so much."

"That's great," Brock smiled. Autumn wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and grinned back.

"Autumn, are you going to be able to continue?" Spring asked. "Do you need to take a break?"

"No," Autumn shook her head. "Everyone's working really hard, so I should, too."

"Don't overdo it, Autumn," Brock said. "It's okay if you need to take a break."

"It's all right!" Autumn cheered. "I promise it's okay. Maybe I'll just switch with someone."

"Can you handle the desserts?" Brock said. "I can probably handle the meat and the fruit."

"Yeah, that's fine," Autumn said, walking over the ice cream machine. "I've got this covered!"

* * *

><p>"Ah, finally closing time!"<p>

Autumn leaned over in one of the booths in the dining room. "I'm so tired!"

"Everyone did a great job today!" Summer said. "We're really glad that we had Brock and his friends to help us!"

"No problem!" Brock said. "I'm glad we could be of assistance."

"Well, we all need to clean up, but it's been a long day and we need a break. Let's grab some food and chill out for a bit."

"I'll go whip some stuff up for everybody!" Autumn cheered, finally excited to get a break but wanting to make some food for everyone. Especially Brock. "What does everyone want?"

After taking everyone's orders, she rushed to the kitchen to get started on the burgers. Right when she was getting ready to set the meat on the stove (careful not to use her bandaged hand), she heard someone walk in.

"O-oh, Brock!" she gasped, not expecting him. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to check on you," he said. "You've been working really hard all day, and even after cutting your finger you still offered to cook food for everyone. You're really dedicated, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah," she smiled warmly. "I just didn't want to feel like I was helpless or useless just because I injured myself."

"That's not true, Autumn," Brock said, walking up to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. "What happened was just an accident. None of us would have blamed you if you wanted to chill out for awhile. But you carried on anyway, even though you about sliced your finger in two! That's pretty awesome and I commend you for it."

"R-really?" Autumn beamed at Brock's kind words. "T-thank you."

"Does your finger still hurt?" Brock asked.

Autumn held her bandaged finger out. "It's better than it was earlier, but it still hurts a litt—"

Autumn paused when Brock suddenly leaned forward and kissed her finger. Her whole face turned beat red and she almost shrieked but her voice caught in her throat.

"There, maybe that will help?" Brock smiled to her and patted her on the head.

"U-um, uh…" Autumn couldn't think straight. "S-sure…"

"C'mon, let's make this food for everyone!" Brock said, rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands over the sink. "I'm sure we're all starving!"

"Y-yes!" Autumn said, returning to place the meat on the stove. Even though she was exhausted, she had enough strength left to make a meal for Brock and the crew.

Maybe later she could offer to eat the special Couple's Banana Split together with him.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not a fan of many Shippings with Brock, but I think KitchenMaid is kinda cute. I actually liked how this chapter turned out. :D<strong>

**~Midori**


End file.
